Chaos and Capes
by Willow-Bee the Cat
Summary: Running from the Knights of Byzantium, Dawn is rescued by a man with secrets of his own. The only question is, whose secrets are more deadly for the pair? DawnConnorHawke BtVSDC Comics
1. Prologue

Prologue

She let out a growl of annoyance. This was so fucking typical. Goddamn Summers luck! If Hank Summers had not been her father, Dawn would have seriously injured him for this. Then again, Dawn was pretty sure Buffy had no such hesitance. Perhaps a call to her sister was in order.

The nineteen year old had been invited to visit her father for the summer. Being the idiot that she was, Dawn had agreed. She should have known better. Should have asked why her father had suddenly invited her to visit him in Star City after six years of silence.

She could have been working. She could have been hanging out with her friends. But no, she wasn't doing anything that productive; she was running for her life instead.

How could those stupid monks not have known that Hanks Summers was a member of the Knights of Byzantium? It's not like it was well hidden. Her grandmother, Peri Summers had been from Turkey originally. Sure, she'd married an American man, but how could the monks have missed that little bit of information?

Dawn vaulted over a car with ease. A quick glance behind was all Dawn needed to encourage her to run faster. Where the hell had he gotten a horse?

While Dawn was no where near the category of a Slayer, she had inherited some of the powers from Buffy. Not much, mind. But enough. Thrice as much stamina as a normal human woman. Reflexes that rivaled those of a Slayer. No additional strength or prophetic dreams. But she did heal as fast as a Slayer and have the ability to tell whether or not somebody was actually human.

And of course, there were her abilities as the Key. But perhaps it was best not to mention that. After all, her father and his friends were riding her down on horseback because of the whole Key thing.

Where was a Slayer when you needed one? Oh, wait, there were no Slayers stationed in Star City because the Council cough-Giles-cough felt that a city with a Super Hero needed no Slayer. Where was a Super Hero when you needed one?

Dawn ignored the pain in her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she saw a bloody arrow land several feet in front of her. She had been hit. Dawn tried to ignore the feel of energy pulsing around her. A portal would soon open, taking her to another world. But that wouldn't matter if she stopped running and let herself be killed.

Feeling somebody grab her around the waist, Dawn let out an ear-piercing shriek. A large hand covered her mouth as she was pulled deeper into the shadows.

"Be quiet," hissed a male voice.

"No! You have to let me go! Please…"

Dawn collapsed against the man, in a dead faint. Before he could do anything, the Key activated.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Mia Dearden stood in front of her school, waiting impatiently. Connor should have been there half an hour earlier. Leaning against the wall, she decided to give him another ten minutes before calling Ollie.

He couldn't have gotten into that much trouble…

Oh, wait, he could have. Connor was both the son of the original Green Arrow and Super Hero (without powers) as well. With that in mind, Mia pulled out her cell phone. Perhaps it would be best to call Ollie now. She couldn't remember that last time Connor was willingly late.

* * *

Connor sat up slowly. What had happened? There had been a flash of light and then… then he was on the ground. A woman-the one he'd pulled out of the way of those horsemen was draped across his lap.

Pulling her off him gently, Connor began to check her vitals. Satisfied that she was just unconscious and that her wound had been cauterized-probably during whatever brought them here-he stood up.

"Halt!"

Connor had a feeling it was going to be one of those days.

* * *

Dawn snuggled into the warmth. The arms under her knees and around her upper body tightened. For a moment Dawn wondered why her bed smelled like sandalwood.

"Play possum," whispered a male voice.

Hearing the sound of boots marching and connecting the male voice with that of her would be savior, Dawn lay still. After what felt like ages, but was probably more like five minutes, the came to a halt. She heard a door close and lock.

Another minute passed before the man spoke again. "I think it's safe… er. Do you think you can stand, or do you need help?"

Opening her eyes, Dawn said, "I think I can stand. Can you let me down?"

Keeping a tight hold on her waist, the man slowly lowered his other arm. Once her feet were on the ground, he let go of her waist.

"Oh, uh, thanks for the save earlier. Any idea where we are?"

"A prison."

Dawn felt the blood drain from her face. Without thinking of the consequences, she said, "Don't let them take my prints!"

For a moment there was dead silence. Dawn glanced up at the man and then covered her bright red face with her hands.

"Stupid. Stupid. How could I say that in front of a stranger? Might as well have shouted 'Arrest me, I'm a criminal'."

"Yeah, pretty much," said the man.

And what a handsome man at that. He had blonde hair and green eyes. Two inches or so taller than her with muscles that looked like they came from use, not body building. His skin was a shade or two darker than Carlos's. There was a shape to his eyes that suggested he had an Asian ancestor or two.

"I hate Tuesdays."

"What are you wanted for?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that I have done my time or been acquitted for everything I've done in the States," growled Dawn. "And I'm not wanted in any countries that have extradition treaties with the US, Italy, or the UK."

"Why those three countries?"

Dawn shrugged. "American citizen, I just finished college in England, my employer is based out of London, and my sister lives in Rome. And I have no idea who you are."

"Sorry. Connor Hawke. And you?"

"Dawn Summers." She bit her lip. "Any idea on how to get out?"

"Give me a couple minutes."

* * *

As Connor examined their cell, he watched Dawn out of the corner of his eyes. She was calm, too calm for a civilian. Combined with the being chased by a knight thing, Connor doubted that she was normal.

She was a little shorter than him with dark brown hair done up in a complicated style. Her flowing knee length skirt and loose, belted blouse only served to make her appear more delicate.

"I think the air vents would be the best way out," said Connor. "They look big enough for me."

As he examined the screws holding the grate in place, Dawn handed him a hair pin wordlessly.

"So, what did you go to college for?"

"I have a degree in linguistics. Currently, I work for an international organization as a linguist. I graduated a couple weeks ago. Still trying to find a place to do grad school. I don't want to go back to Rome or London."

"Why not?"

"Too close to family. I had an entrance interview at Star City University earlier today. But I think I'll go to Gotham University instead."

Connor handed back the pin. Motioning her out of the way, he pulled off the grate.

"I'll go first. Make sure there aren't any traps," said Connor.

* * *

Watching Connor climb out of the vent, Dawn came to the conclusion that he had a very nice ass. And probably a girlfriend as well. Before she could object, Connor lifted her out of the vent and to the ground, a hand on either side of her waist.

"We should leave before they notice we're missing."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dawn was beginning to wish that they were back in that prison type thing. This stupid forest was going to ruin her clothing. And her shoes… it would be best not to get her started on the condition of her shoes.

Connor, on the other hand looked completely comfortable. Something about the forest just seemed to agree with him. Personally, Dawn was betting that the forest was an evil sentient creature luring them to their doom. A little far fetched, but anything that ruined perfectly good boots had to be evil.

Not to mention their unhindered escape from… wherever that prison was. Something was definitely off about this entire thing. Of course, it could just be something about this entire dimension. But Dawn doubted that.

"Am I the only one who thinks that our escape was too easy?" Dawn asked.

"No. There should have been some sort of security system inside the vents," said Connor.

"You noticed t-EEEP!"

Not paying attention to where she was going, Dawn had walked over the edge of a steep incline.

* * *

Eyes wide, Connor dove after his companion. His hand reached out, grabbing her arm right before it disappeared from sight. Still sliding toward the edge, Connor tried to find something, anything to brace himself with.

No trees or rocks big enough within reach, Connor tried to come up with a plan. From what he could see, it was a long way to the bottom with quite a few sharp looking rocks on the way. He ignored Dawn's mumbles of "Don't let go. Don't let go." If he didn't do something, and soon, the results would not be pretty.

His plans were cut short rather suddenly. Connor nearly let go of Dawn's hand as he jerked to a halt. She reached up, her other hand now holding his wrist tightly.

Without looking to see who or what had stopped his fall, Connor lifted the arm holding Dawn.

* * *

Dawn felt herself being lifted. Ignoring her fear she scrambled back on to level land. She hated heights. Absolutely hated them!

As a child, she had climbed everything from trees to the cliffs by the beach. But after the whole Glory thing, Dawn had never looked at climbing the same. She knew her acrophobia was harmful, but Dawn just couldn't bring herself to care.

Still shaking, Dawn stood up. She dusted herself off and looked around. Connor was standing up as well. He had quite a bit of dirt down his front and a couple scratches.

"Are you two alright?" asked an unfamiliar male voice.

They both turned to look. A man in a uniform (forest ranger?) was standing up as well. He was tall with red hair. The hair was in a style Dawn had only ever seen in old pictures. No self-respecting male would wear his hair in such a way in her time.

Connor gave a curt nod. "Dawn?"

"I-I think so," she managed to stutter out. "W-who are you?"

"Roy Harper. I'm the forest ranger around here," he said.

Dawn almost missed the way Connor had stiffened at the name. Somebody he knew? She would find out later.

"I'm Connor Hawke and this is Dawn Summers," said her companion. "Could you direct us to the nearest town? Or a trail?"

"It's too late to walk to town today," said Ranger Harper. "If you come back with me, I can provide you with a place to sleep for the night and some food. I can take you into town tomorrow."

"Thanks," said Connor.

* * *

The cabin wasn't much, but it was solid and well built. Only two rooms and an outhouse out back. Not that Dawn cared much at the moment.

"Sorry about the mess," said Ranger Harper. "My wife is off visiting her sister in Fredomia. You know how women get when they're expecting."

"Is this today's paper?" asked Dawn.

"Yesterday's paper."

"Thanks," Dawn said sheepishly. "I like to look at the society pages. If you want, I could make dinner. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks, missy. There should be enough food for all three of us."

"Anything in particular that you don't like?"

"Don't care so long as it's food," said Ranger Harper.

"I'm a Buddhist," said Connor.

"Then no meat for you, right?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you two run off somewhere," said Dawn. "Men have no place in the kitchen."

* * *

Before leaving, Connor had glanced at the newspaper Dawn had pointed out. May 9, 1946. At least that explained why Dawn was acting that way.

"So what were you two doing in the forest?"

Connor turned to look at Roy Harper. The father of the original Speedy. The father of the man he considered to be an older brother.

What should he say? What could he say?


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"We-uh…" Connor sighed. He couldn't do this. There was no reasonable excuse and he was not going to insult the man by suggesting something a little more… unusual. "Look, you have two choices; a lie or no answer at all."

Roy gave him a hard look. Connor had seen the look on his son's face on more than one occasion. It was not a good look.

"Trust me on this. You really don't want to know the truth."

"Yes, I do," stated Roy. "Are you a spy or some sort of mystery man?"

"One of those."

He seemed to know that he was not going to get a proper answer out of Connor. "I want you and that girl of yours out of my house by morning and out of the town by dinner."

* * *

Dawn sighed. Connor had taken charge. He was making phone calls in the general store, trying to get them back to civilization.

She wasn't really sure why he thought that he could get them a ride, but Dawn was not about to complain. That forest ranger had seemed rather tense and Connor had not acted much better. She wasn't sure what had been said, but Dawn did not think it was good.

"Dawn, come on. We need to catch the train to Phoenix," said Connor.

"Did you get us a ride?"

"Yeah. We're meeting some people in Phoenix. They might be able to send us back home."

"What did you do?"

A look crossed Connor's face. "I talked to some family friends."

* * *

They were only one stop away from Phoenix when Dawn brought up the subject again.

"So these friends-"

"Will not be meeting you until I talk to them," stated Connor. "You will go to a library or something until I make sure that they are going to help us."

"Are they really that dangerous?"

Connor looked away. "If they decide that we are enemies, they can be. We'll figure out some place and time to meet. If I don't come back… assume I'm dead or in prison. Don't bother trying to rescue me. I can break myself out of jail just fine. And if I'm dead, it won't matter at all."

"Fine," said Dawn. "There's a public library on Washington Street. I saw it three years ago. It's a museum in our time, but it should still be a museum in this time. I'll be looking at history texts. If you don't come there by closing time tomorrow, I'll be there again all day on the twenty-ninth."

"Agreed."

* * *

Connor leaned against the wall, watching cars pass. They would be here soon. He really would have preferred not to call them, but he needed to get himself and Dawn back.

He really hadn't had time to do research on what these people were like in this world. Hopefully this was not a dimension where they were evil. He'd heard about dimensions like that from Kyle. That was the reason he had sent Dawn away. He didn't want to put somebody who may or may not have been a civilian (Connor still wasn't sure about that) in danger.

The two women and the man were in civilian clothing. The man and one of the women kept glancing at each other suspiciously. Rather understandable, all things considered.

"Thank you for coming, Mrs. Lance, Queen Hippolyta, Mr. Blood," said Connor. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself over the phone. I'm Connor Hawke."

"Why did you call us here? How did you know-"

"Mrs. Lance, I think we should move somewhere we be seen by the people on the road."

They walked away from the gas station and farther into the desert. Once the road was barely visible, they stopped.

Connor cleared his throat. "I need Mr. Blood's help, or if he is not able to, Dr. Fate's help."

"Then why demand our presence?" Queen Hippolyta did not look very pleased.

"Because, your lasso will guarantee I'm telling the truth. And if you didn't show, I know enough about Mrs. Lance to convince her of my truthfulness."

"You really want my to-"

"Yes, your Majesty. It's the only way I can be sure that you'll believe my story."

A moment later the lasso of truth had pinned his arms to his sides.

"Who are you and why did you call us?"

"Connor Hake and I already told you why I called you and Mrs. Lance. I called Mr. Blood here because he was the only magic user I had met who existed here and could probably be convinced to meet me. Somehow, a girl and I ended up in this dimension and we need a way home."

"What girl?"

"Dawn Summers."

Before anybody could say anything else, Mrs. Lance asked, "Why do you know so much about me?"

"Your daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance has been dating my father on and off for the better part of a decade," said Connor. "She becomes the Black Canary, just like you."

"And your father is?"

"His codename is Green Arrow. He's an archer, like me. I really shouldn't say much more than that about him."

Mr. Blood started talking before either of the women could continue their line of questioning. "How did you and your companion end up here?"

"I don't know. I pulled Dawn out of the way of some men who were running her down on horseback, and the next thing I know, we're in a dimension that seems to be about thirty years off. I've already met the father of my father's first sidekick. A sidekick that is already in his mother's womb. Roy shouldn't be born until more than thirty years from now."

"I'll see what I can do for you, Mr. Hawke," said Mr. Blood.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jason Blood was unsure as to why he agreed to help the young man. Curiosity perhaps. He tried to stay away from the so-called mystery men. They were too unpredictable, too public.

The young man was talking to the women, trying not to reveal too much about the future, despite revealing that there were already several prominent differences between this dimension and his own.

"Why did you trust me to use my lasso on you?"

Connor shrugged. "I've heard good things about you. I mean, your daughter has always spoken very highly of you and the old timers from the JSA were really fond of you."

"My daughter?"

He sighed. "Princess Diana is the current Wonder Woman. We were on the same team for a while." He paused, obviously making a decision. "Roy has said some really good things about you as well. I don't know whether or not the Amazons have taken Donna in yet, or if you even will in this dimension, but Donna and Roy have been together for a long time."

"But my daughter, she's really Black Canary?" said Mrs. Lance.

"Yeah, for about fifteen years or so," said Connor.

"And she's dating your father."

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"Does she have any children? Do you have any siblings-"

"Dinah just took in a little girl. Her name is Sin, I think. As for me, I probably have several half siblings I don't know about. There's Roy, Dad's first sidekick and my foster brother. Mia, she's… uh well… I'm not sure if she's Dad's sidekick or mine. Dad's her legal guardian at the moment. And Cissie-well it's entirely possible that she's my half sister. I think I have another half brother out there somewhere"

Best to interrupt before the man gave away too much information. With that in mind, Jason started to talk. "So this girl you're here with, Miss Summers. Is it possible that she's responsible for you being in this dimension?"

Connor became very still. "Yes, it is. I haven't asked her. She's-well I'm not really sure what she is. Dawn refused to tell why the men on horseback had been chasing her and I did not feel like pressing my luck."

As they stopped in front of a library, Connor said, "I'll be right back. Just need to pick up Dawn."

* * *

Connor knew that he had revealed too much information, but Mrs. Lance was so much like Dinah and the Queen… well he had never been very good at lying. Anyway, the information probably wouldn't change anything important.

It took a few minutes and the help of a librarian to locate the history section. Dawn was in the back of this section. Her back to the wall and two separate exits nearby along with the windows. She looked rather engrossed in a book about Vlad the Impaler.

Dawn put down the book and shook her head. "The people who wrote that book obviously paid more attention to rumor than fact. How did your meeting go?"

"I found us a way home-I think," said Connor. "They're waiting for us outside."

A measuring look was her response. "Alright."

* * *

The woman who followed Connor out of the library couldn't have been more than twenty. Her blouse and skirt looked rather normal, but Jason could not figure out why she wore boots with them. Some sort of fashion statement?

Miss Summers barely gave the other women a glance. She starred at him. For a moment Jason was sure that she was not human, and then realization of what she was hit him.

"Slayer."

Her eyes narrowed. "I am not now, nor have I ever been a Slayer. It's genetic. I inherited it from my… mother. Anyway, I don't even have all the powers."

"I'm surprised the Council allowed your mother to carry to term. They generally keep their Slayer's on a much tighter leash."

Ignoring the others, Miss Summers said, "My mother was not Council raised. By the time they found her, there was little they could do to control her."

"And your father?"

"Total norm. He's working as a bounty hunter these days. Don't see him all that often." She cocked her head to the side. "What type of demon are you, anyway?"

"You don't want to know."

Queen Hippolyta looked rather tense. "Your mother was a Slayer?"

"Is. Not was," Miss Summers said proudly. "She's the longest lived in over a millennia."

"Slayers are demons, not human."

"Actually, that's open to debate," said Miss Summers. "Both my mother and I show up as completely human on a genetic level, as do all of the Potentials we know of. Sure, all Slayers are female descendants of the First Slayer, but any demon blood-if it did exist-would be completely gone by now."

"I think the question here would be, are you a Potential as well?" said Jason.

"No. I'm not. Any daughters I have will be Potentials, but there is no chance that I will be Called." There was something about her as she said this. A wistfulness of sorts. "Any ideas on how to get us home? A spell?"

* * *

Connor was unsure exactly what a Slayer was. However, it seemed to be important. Both Jason Blood and Queen Hippolyta knew what it was. What he had heard of the Council-whatever that was-seemed worrying.

At least he knew that Dawn was not normal. Definitely not normal.

* * *

Oliver Queen was worried. Very worried.

His son was missing. And Connor was not the sort to disappear without getting word to somebody that he was leaving. He would not willingly abandon Mia at school like that.

Something had to be wrong. There were several possibilities. Connor had been kidnapped. Connor was injured from a fight and in a hospital or back alley somewhere.

Or perhaps Connor had run off to go handle something and did not have the opportunity to contact somebody. Who was he kidding? Connor wouldn't do something like that unless he had no other choice.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dawn really did not like being around a woman who thought she was demon spawn and a demon who probably thought she was fair game. Where had Connor met people like this? What type of family had friends like this? Other than her own, that is.

And how was she going to explain this if Connor actually did any research on her? She had used Buffy as a mother and claimed that Pike was her father. Sure, Pike was her favorite out of all of Buffy's former boyfriends. And she was Buffy's genetically engineered clone. Perhaps she should stop thinking about this.

As Mr. Blook suggested a spell, Dawn said, "Won't work. All it will do is create a paradox."

"Why have you not tried a spell yet?" asked Queen Hipollyta.

"Because, while I do have some magic, I am definitely not a witch," said Dawn. "I'm a researcher, a linguist, and occasionally a spell caster, but I know my limits. Using a spell to open a dimensional portal is beyond those limits. And I've never been any good with Order Magic anyway. The only spells I've ever been able to get right have been chaos based."

This seemed to upset Queen Hippolyta.

"You do realize that not all chaos is evil, right?" said Connor. "One cannot have order without chaos. And what would happen to order without chaos?"

That seemed to stop the queen altogether.

"So, Connor, you got a girl waiting for you back in Star City?" asked Dawn.

He shook his head. "I don't date much. You?"

"Just about given up," shrugged Dawn. "After my last one tried to use me as a human sacrifice I swore off magic using humans entirely. Don't see much reason to date normal humans. I either date criminals or members of the French Foreign Legion. And non-humans. Don't even get me started on non-humans. I mean, the last Braken demon I dated was a total wimp. And the demon before him doesn't really count."

"Why not?"

Dawn sighed. ""He was the Lord of the fucking Dance. Tried to kidnap me and make me his child bride back when I was fifteen. Like I said, I don't have much luck with men."

"Wow," said Connor.

The Queen seemed to be helping Mr. Blood research spells while Mrs. Lance cooked dinner.

"So, you have anything as bad as mine?" asked Dawn. "What was your first kiss like?"

Connor blushed. "A mercenary working for a friend's uncle. She decided that she'd rather kiss me than kill me. You?"

"Vampire, front seat of his car. I ended up killing him after he made it clear that he wanted to turn me so that we could 'be together forever'."

"You're first date with a human?"

A shrug. "His name was RJ and there was a love spell on his varsity jacket that made all the girls in school fall for him. Apparently his grandfather or father had put the spell on the jacket and RJ had no idea. We burned the jacket just in time. Wills was planning on turning him into a girl cause she only dated other girls by that point in time. You?"

"Never really dated or been in a relationship," Connor said quietly. "I've kissed a couple women, but nothing more than that."

"That's alright," Dawn said consolingly. "If I didn't have a phobia of monks, I think I'd see about entering a nunnery. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about the scum I date. I mean sure, there aren't really monks at nunneries, but one would inevitably show up."

"Phobia of monks?"

"Really long story involving the Czech Republic," said Dawn.

"Uh, just so that you know, I spent several years of my life in an ashram in Tibet," Connor said quietly.

"Oh no, I have a problem with Christian monks, not Buddhist," laughed Dawn. "I mean, I'm a good little Greek Orthodox woman myself, but Christian monks really freak me out."

"So, what's with the French Foreign Legion?"

Dawn shook her head. "I don't know. Somehow, I managed to date seven different men without knowing until the second date or later that they were members of the French Foreign Legion. My family jokes about how if the ever need a Legionnaire, all they need to do is send me to pick up a man in a bar."

"Seven? Wow." Connor seemed to find it amusing. "Greek Orthodox?"

"My grandmother was from Istanbul and my grandfather was not very religious. My mother's family was from somewhere in the Balkins originally. Near the Russian border. A lot of the people in that area are Greek Orthodox as well. So, my sister and I were raised Orthodox."

"Mr. Hawke, Miss Summers, this might take a while. Why don't you two go see if you can make yourselves useful to Mrs. Lance," said Mr. Blood.

"Sure," shrugged Dawn. "Come on. Maybe she needs help cooking."

* * *

Dawn looked out at the stars. Mr. Blood, the queen, and Mrs. Lance were all asleep. She wasn't exactly sure what Connor was doing, but she didn't really feel like asking either.

"Dawn? You alright?"

"Yeah Connor, I'm fine," Dawn said quietly. "Just a little worried."

"What's wrong?" Connor joined her on the balcony of their hotel room.

Dawn sighed. "I was supposed to be doing a translation, but then the knights happened and the dimensional travel…"

"What sort of translation?"

Dawn looked down. "I work for the Watcher's Council. That organization Mr. Blood was talking about. They needed a translation done in order to find out how to stop these demons who were trying to open a Hellmouth."

"But I thought the Council-"

"They are evil, in this time," Dawn said. "Nearly four years ago, the main offices were blown up. Giles-my mother's Watcher helped to rebuild the Council. Now it is run differently. Girls aren't taken from their parents anymore. Sure, they're taught how to protect themselves, but they are no longer treated as expendable. It's really much better now."

"What is a Slayer? Nobody has explained that."

"A couple millennia ago, three Shamans took a young girl…"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"And now all Potentials are active Slayers," said Dawn.

"What about you?" asked Connor. "According to what you said, all Potentials are the female descendants of the First Slayer."

"I don't know," said Dawn. "I started doing research once we took over the Council. There have been a couple instances where Slayers have given birth. It seems that male children have no powers and female children have some, but not all of the Slayer ability. But, when those children reproduce, their daughters are considered Potentials."

"So you think it skips a generation," said Connor.

"That's our theory. We'll probably be finding out whether or not it's true in the next couple decades." Dawn shrugged. "Although if it is, we may have a shortage of Slayers in a decade or two."

"How old were you when you started college?" Connor asked. "According to what you said, you should be only nineteen or so, but you also have a degree."

"Sixteen. And I took lots of intercession and summer session courses. I got my GED a week after Sunnyhell went kablooey. Didn't see the reason to stay in High School, you know. You never did say what you do for a living."

"I work at a youth center in Star City." Connor shrugged. "I've been thinking about giving archery lessons during the weekend as well."

"You're an archer?"

"Yeah. My father's much better at it than I am, though."

"Never was very good at archery myself," said Dawn. "Admittedly, I've only been in a couple battles, but I prefer to use a battle axe. It's my absolute favorite weapon. After that I suppose it would be knives and then the broadsword. My sister loves using the crossbow, though."

Wait-She was supposed to refer to Buffy as her mother, not her sister. Crud. Maybe he wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Mia, my foster sister, has a thing for crossbows as well," said Connor. "It drives Dad crazy. He thinks crossbows are for sissies."

Dawn let out a giggle. It wasn't funny. Really it wasn't. But it could be if Connor's father ever told Buffy crossbows were for sissies. A full blown laugh escaped.

* * *

Dawn bustled around the kitchen, making breakfast for everybody. She had been up until three talking to Connor. He was so… different from the men she had dated over the years. Different in a good way.

Too bad he probably wasn't interested. He still hadn't really told her why he knew demons and Amazons, but she hadn't told him about the Key either.

"Miss Summers."

"Good morning, Mrs. Lance," Dawn said as she flipped a pancake. "Anything in particular you want in your breakfast? We have raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Or there's my favorite, chunks of chocolate."

"Blueberries please," she said, sitting down at a chair. "So you and Mr. Hawke…"

"Just traveling companions," sighed Dawn.

"But you wish it was more."

Dawn nodded. "Yes. Maybe… I don't know." Dawn put more batter on the pan. "I think I'd like to get to know him better. He's so…. He's nothing like the men I generally date. Probably a good thing considering my usual taste in men. " Dawn looked down. "But I can't date a normal human unless he can hold his own against demons and magic users."

"Because of the Slayer thing?"

"Yeah." Dawn added some blueberries to the pancake. "My family has too many enemies. It wouldn't be fair to just toss some innocent into this kind of life. Buffy's tried it before. Riley couldn't handle it. But Pike… Pike could take care of himself."

"Pike? Buffy?"

"Buffy's my older sister," said Dawn. "These days she teaches Potential Slayers how to fight. Pike was her first really serious boyfriend…"

* * *

Connor walked into the room right was Dawn explained that Buffy was her older sister. Grabbing a seat, he decided to listen to what she had to say. They hadn't really talked about either of their families the night before.

"… Pike was about twenty two and my sister was fourteen," explained Dawn. "He had just gotten out of the marines and was working in this auto shop. Total stoner. I'm not sure if it was because of his involvement in the Gulf War or an inability to deal with civilian life. Never asked. But when he found out that Vampires and stuff were real, Pike got clean and started to help Buffy protect LA from the creatures of the night.

"They dated for a while, but when we moved to Sunnyhell, they broke it off. Buffy and Pike have run into each other a couple times since then. He works as a bounty hunter now. Killing demons who are an active threat to the general public. About a year ago, Buffy and Pike started dating again.

"I heard from Molly who heard from Kennedy who heard from Andrew that Buffy has a ring on her finger." Dawn let out a giggle. "You know which finger I'm talking about. Anyway, I just hope that I get to be one of the bridesmaids. Even if it does come with an ugly dress. Pike always was my favorite out of all Buffy's boyfriends."

"What do you mean by active threat to the public?" asked Connor.

Dawn looked over at him. "The ones who go out killing or who try to bring about the Apocalypse. I mean, there are plenty of demons who are a threat to the general well being of humans, but we don't go around killing them unless they start with the killing and stuff."

Dawn put a pancake in front of Mrs. Lance. "Want anything in your pancake, Connor?" She told him what there was.

"Everything except for the chocolate. If you're so involved in this sort of thing, why were you thinking of going to grad school in Star City or Gotham?"

"Because it's quiet. The capes can handle anything that comes up. A perfect place for serious study. And this way, I'd have more time for my job. I mean, I am a linguist, not a fighter. And one of the only employees who is capable of speaking, reading, and writing more than a dozen demon languages."


End file.
